Granted Patent B2

US 8,645,643 · App. 12/595,362 · Granted Feb 4, 2014

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. A data processing control unit for controlling at least two data processing operations, including a first operation and second operation, said data processing control unit including:

a control memory for storing a first control data based upon a first access request from the first operation that includes information indicative of a position identifier that indicates that the first access request as an access request from the first operation and information that indicates a position of the first access request in a sequence of access requests that is predefined to be generated by each of the first operation and the second operation, and that includes the first access request;

an input for receiving the first access request from the second operation to access data in a main memory;

a control data controller connected to said control memory and said input, which control data controller is configured to store data about access requests of the sequence of access requests, including the first control data, in said control memory; and

a process controller connected to said control memory and to said input, to provide a process control signal at an output to control at least an aspect of said second operation based on a comparison of the first access request from the second operation to the first control data.

2. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said process controller is configured to compare a value of data requested to be accessed, by said first access request, by the one of said data processing operations with control data representing a previous value of said data as accessed by the another of said data processing operations.

3. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said process controller is configured to compare said data in said control memory with a criterion suitable to control access to said main memory by said data processing operations, and wherein said process controller includes an access control output connectable to said main memory for controlling said access based on said comparison.

4. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 3 , further including a memory read and/or write controller connected to said process controller and to an output of said data processing control unit, said output being connectable to said main memory, for controlling data read from and/or written to said main memory based on said comparison.

5. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said process controller is configured:

to compare, in response to the first access request being a write request from a one of said data processing operations, a value of data to be written into said main memory by the first access request from the one of said data processing operations with a value of data stored in said control memory for the first access request from an another of said data processing operations, and

to activate a data modifying operation of said memory read and/or write controller when a result of said comparison meets a predetermined write criterion, said data modifying operation including modifying data in the main memory, and/or

to output an error signal if said result does not meet said predetermined write criterion.

6. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said memory read and/or write controller is further configured to modify the data in the main memory when corresponding write requests have been received from a pre-selected part of said data processing operations.

7. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said data processing control unit is configured to control the proceeding of said data processing operations, and wherein said process controller includes an operation controller output for outputting an operation control signal to at least one of the data processing operations when said comparison meets a predetermined criterion.

8. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said process controller is configured to determine if a one of said data processing operations has transmitted all the access requests in said common sequence and hold said one of said data processing operations until another of said data processing operations has transmitted all the access requests in said common sequence.

9. A data processing control unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said process controller is configured to determine, based on said comparison, whether or not an access request is correct and to output, at said process controller output, an error signal in case an access request is received that is incorrect.

10. A data processor comprising:

a control memory;

a data memory;

an input to receive a sequence of access requests from a plurality of data processing operations, including a first data processing operation and a second data processing operation, the sequence of access requests is predefined to be generated by each one of the plurality of data processing operations;

a control data controller connected to the input and to the control memory to store control data at said control memory for received access requests of the sequence of access requests, the control data for a particular access request to indicate which of the plurality of data processing operations generated the particular access request and to indicate a position of the particular access request within the sequence of access requests; and

a process controller connected to the control memory and to the input to provide a process control signal at an output to control at least an aspect of a particular data processing operation of the plurality of data processing operations, the process control signal based upon a comparison of a current access request from the particular data processing operation to first control data stored at the control memory, the first control data identifiable as corresponding to an access request by a different data processing operation than the current access request, and the first control data identifiable as corresponding to the a access request within the sequence of access requests as the current access request.

11. A data processor as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first control data includes access data from a previous access request, and the comparison of the current access request to the first control data includes comparing the access data from the previous access request to access data of the current access request.

12. A data processor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the access data is data read from the data memory.

13. A data processor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the access data is data written to the data memory.

14. A data processor as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the control data controller stores control data for the current access request in the control memory that indicates an order in which the current access request was received at the input.

15. A data processor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the control data includes an indication that is provided as at least part of the process control signal to indicate that the current access request is incorrect based upon a difference between the indicated order and an indication of a position of the current access request within the sequence of access requests stored at the control memory.

16. A data processor as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising providing an indication on the process control signal that indicates that the current access request is incorrect in response to the indication of the order not being equal to an indication of a position of the current access request within the sequence of access requests stored at the control memory.

17. A data processor as claimed in claim 14 further comprising providing an indication on the process control signal that indicates that the current access request is incorrect in response to information about the current access request not being present in the control memory.

18. A data processor as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a plurality of sets of control data are stored in the control memory, each of the sets representing control data for access requests corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of data processing operations, and the control data controller is configured to modify control data of a set corresponding to the particular data processing operation.

19. A data processor as claimed in claim 10 , wherein in response to the comparison not meeting a criteria, the process controller prevents the current access request from being completed.

20. A data processor as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a read and/or write controller; wherein the process controller compares the current access request with data in the control memory and in response to the comparison instructs the read and/or write controller to complete the current access request.

Assignments (26)